SPOKANE - A motorglider force landed on Interstate 90 at Lookout Pass on Tuesday afternoon near the Idaho/Montana state line, officials confirmed.A witness said he watched an experimental motorglider land on the highway around 2 p.m. on Tuesday.Tim Halbert said he was the one of the first people on the scene and waited with the pilot for emergency responders. He said the pilot was experiencing some back pain and had a few bumps and bruises but walked away from the crash. "A sheriff's deputy that was there told him to go buy a lottery ticket," Halbert said.Halbert said the pilot told him he had caught a downdraft and his engine quit. Halbert said the pilot told him he couldn't get the engine going again and glided for a long while looking for a place to put the motorglider down."I knew he was in trouble because he was so low," Halbert recalled. "He just kept getting lower and lower and sure enough, he just crashed."Mineral County Sheriff’s Office confirmed they were responding to the incident, but did not have any further detail.Montana Department of Transit sent out a notification the eastbound lanes at Lookout Pass on the Montana side are blocked but traffic is able to get through the median. After speaking with a witness, it appears the road closures are as a result of the plane crash.KREM 2 is still waiting to hear from officials on the pilot's injuries, but a Halbert said he appeared to be OK.Story and video ➤ http://www.kpax.com

MISSOULA, Mont. — Authorities tell us a man flying an experimental craft that crashed Tuesday afternoon on Lookout Pass walked away from the wreck.The crash happened between 2 and 3 p.m. Tuesday half a mile east of the Montana-Idaho state line.Federal Aviation records show the craft is described as a motorglider and is experimental. The documents show a Redmond, Washington, man applied for the craft’s registration in March.Officials say the pilot was headed west and hit a downdraft and crash-landed on Interstate 90.There were no injuries in the crash. The pilot walked away from the crash but was taken to Superior for medical attention. No word on how he is doing.Erin Brown, who helps run Big Sky Towing, said there was a lot of debris when they came to pick up the airplane."There was debris everywhere, and we needed to bring -- instead of just a rollback -- our Landoll, because it was a 53-foot wingspan," Brown said.Big Sky towing cleaned up the accident in just under an hour and took the plane to its shop in De Borgia.The FAA is taking over the investigation, and will be examining the aircraft Wednesday.Original article can be found here ➤ http://nbcmontana.com

AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) — UPDATE (May 23): Investigators with Virginia State Police are looking into the forced landing of a plane outside of the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport on Tuesday.According to Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for State Police, officers were called to the scene in Augusta County at 10:55 a.m., where it was confirmed that neither the pilot, a 24-year-old Rockingham County man, nor the co-pilot, were injured.The two had been flying a Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow, which had taken off from Weyers Cave on its way to Farmville when the aircraft experienced engine problems.The pilot attempted to return to the airport, but realized they would not make it back. Instead, he made a forced landing in an open field along Craig Shop Road in Weyers Cave.The plane only suffered minor damage and no one on the ground was injured. Two nearby farmers responded to the scene of the crash very quickly after they saw the plane coming in too low.__________Two people are thankfully alright after the plane they were flying went down just outside of the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport on Tuesday afternoon.According to Sgt. Sean Simmons, with Virginia State Police, the plane suffered a power failure and a flight instructor from Blue Ridge Aviation maintained control of the craft to crash land it before it could return to the airport where it had departed from.Farmers nearby saw the plane coming in too low and told WHSV they were startled to see it come close to a power line on the way down.The propeller was bent and landing gear was damaged on one side when the plane hit the ground in a field at 12:46 p.m. No pieces were broken off of the craft.The flight instructor and his student were uninjured.The instructor would not provide his account of what happened in the flight.

WEYERS CAVE - A flight instructor and his student had to make an emergency landing in a Weyers Cave farm field Tuesday afternoon after their single-engine plane lost power after taking off from the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, authorities said.Both walked away from the Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow with no injuries.Virginia State Police Sgt. Sean Simmons said the plane itself was intact after it landed in a field at 1055 Craig Shop Road near SHD.Simmons said the propeller and a landing gear were damaged.Emergencies crews were first alerted while the plane was still in the air. When it became clear the plane went down, rescuers were guided to the location by another pilot who circled his plane over the site.A flight track, as rendered by FlightAware.com, of a small plane that left Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, lost power and made an emergency landing. FlightAware.com“We had a report from another aircraft that a plane went down east of airport New Hope and Grottoes,” according to Greg Campbell, executive director for the SHD.Campbell said a plane from SHD spotted the downed plane and confirmed there were two occupants with no injuries."The plane lost engine power shortly after take off," Campbell said.The plane appears to have been from Blue Ridge Aviation. The instructional pilot at the scene of the emergency was identified as Chris Miller, who declined to be interviewed. A farm worker said the plane was flying low as it came in and just cleared some power lines before making the emergency landing in a small valley near a stream.Virginia State Police will take over the investigation since the crash did not occur on SHD property, Campbell said.Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.newsleader.com

REDDING, Calif. — UPDATE:According to the Redding Fire Department, a United SkyWest flight was taxiing on the runway, on its way to San Francisco when "a haze" started to fill the cabin, Tuesday night. Following safety protocol, the flight with 40 passengers on board was evacuated on the tarmac.Passengers were then taken to the terminal, where they waited for a later flight.Officials said there was no fire and the pilot believed the smoke was from an air conditioner malfunction.Another plane was sent from San Francisco, carrying a mechanic to repair the plane. There are no reports of injuries.According to an airport official, some passengers were able to book the next flight to San Francisco. SkyWest flight 5318 left Redding at 10:50 p.m. and arrived in San Francisco at 11:39 p.m.ORIGINAL STORY:A passenger airplane reportedly had to be evacuated at the Redding Municipal Airport Tuesday night.Shascom dispatchers say at 7:44 p.m., they received a report of smoke in the cockpit of a passenger plane. Redding Fire is responding .Redding Fire Chief Gerry Gray said that a "passenger jet" was being evacuated on the runway.Story and video ➤ http://krcrtv.com

VIENNA TWP., Ohio - The Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport has made security changes to give first-responders easier access to the runway. Last month, 21 News reported on concerns raised by the Vienna Fire Chief after a medical helicopter landed, but rescue crews were unable to quickly get past a gate to access the helicopter.At that time, Vienna Fire Chief Richard Brannon told 21 news that a gate stood between a Vienna ambulance and a Cleveland Clinic medical crew that had landed and needed to be transported to St. Elizabeth Hospital to pick up a patient.Brannon said their medic drove to the air base. The airbase then made contact with the control tower. The control tower was able to contact someone at home who was sent to open the gate, according to the fire chief.The chief estimates 15-20 minutes were wasted during that process.Since then the Executive Director of the Port Authority says security changes have been made. Tuesday night, Vienna rescue crews were able to use those changes to access a medical helicopter that landed after business hours.Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.wfmj.comVIENNA TWP., Ohio - When minutes matter, the Vienna Township Fire Chief said a man with a serious heart problem had to wait at a Youngstown hospital before he could be transported by medical helicopter to the Cleveland Clinic because of a communication problem between rescue crews and the Youngstown Warren Regional Airport. It was about 12:30 Thursday morning and only a gate stood between a Vienna ambulance and a Cleveland Clinic medical crew that had landed and needed to be transported to St. Elizabeth Hospital to pick up a patient."I'm hoping it gets resolved now that a life was at matter. I feel it's time I put my foot down and say let's talk about this. No more wish-washy," said Vienna Fire Chief Richard Brannon.Brannon said he's been asking to have access to the runway for the past 23 years. That's how long he has been fire chief in the township.There's a keypad outside the gate at the airport, but the chief has never been given the code."We have done this before, but it's just always been in the daytime and somebody has been there. Now, since nobody is there at night, what are we suppose to do?" questioned the chief.In the situation Thursday, the chief said their medic drove to the air base. The airbase then made contact with the control tower. The control tower was able to contact someone at home who was sent to open the gate, according to the fire chief.The chief estimates 15-20 minutes were wasted during that process.Executive Director of the Western Reserve Port Authority John Moliterno said he's never had any conversations with the Vienna Fire Chief. The airport's director just recently resigned. But in an emergency action plan given to the chief, there are the cell phones of airport personnel.Moliterno said he's willing sit-down and work this out."I will make sure we have my security chief and TSA involved in that conversation, but if it's about providing them access in emergency cases we could do that," said Moliterno.Story and video ➤ http://www.wfmj.com

http://registry.faa.gov/N89864Location: Daytona Beach, FLAccident Number: ERA18FA152Date & Time: 05/22/2018, 1930 EDTRegistration: N89864Aircraft: CESSNA 140Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 SeriousFlight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal On May 22, 2018 about 1930 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 140, N89864, was destroyed when it impacted terrain at the Spruce Creek Airport (7FL6), Daytona Beach, Florida. The commercial pilot was seriously injured, and the pilot-rated passenger was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.Several witnesses observed the airplane make several touch-and-go landings on runway 6. During the third touch-and-go, the airplane reached an altitude of about 200-300 ft above the ground when the engine "sputtered," revved up, sputtered a second time, and then experienced a total loss of power. They further stated the airplane then made a left turn like it was returning to the runway. During the left turn, the airplane descended steeply and impacted the ground.The wreckage was located in a wooded area, about 300 ft to the left side of the departure end of runway 6. A wreckage path consisting of broken tree branches was observed extending approximately 15 ft along an approximate 45° descending angle and on a magnetic heading of 270° to the main wreckage. The main wreckage came to rest upright. The engine and propeller were pushed into the instrument panel and upwards at a 45° angle. Both wing leading edges had tree impression marks down the length of the wings. About 3 feet of the right-wing tip was located 15 ft up in a tree, directly above the main wreckage. About 3.25 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel was found in each wing fuel tank. All major components of the airplane were accounted for at the scene. Control cable continuity was confirmed from the control stick to all major flight controls. The fuel selector valve was in the right tank position. The elevator trim was in the neutral position. The throttle and mixture controls were in the full forward position. The magneto switch was in the both position.The engine and propeller remained attached to the airframe. One propeller blade was bent aft at mid-blade, and the other blade was straight. There was no rotational scoring, gouges or scrapes on the propeller blades. The spinner dome was crushed by tree contact and tree bark was impacted into the propeller hub. The engine was clean and free of debris. The starter, left magneto, and carburetor, were all fractured off due to impact forces. Thumb compression was established on all cylinders and a lighted boroscope was used to examine all pistons and valves with no anomalies noted. Valve train continuity was established to by rotating the propeller and observing the gears in the rear accessory case, and rocker arms moving.The two seat, high-wing, fixed tailwheel airplane, was manufactured in 1946. It was powered by a Continental O-200-A, 100-hp engine, equipped with a McCauley two-blade fixed-pitch propeller. The last annual inspection was completed on September 29, 2017. At the time of the accident, the airframe total time was 3,473.79 hours. Which was 62 hours since the annual inspection and the engine had 565 hours since major overhaul.The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, and multi-engine land. He also held a flight instructor certificate. He held a first-class medical certificate, issued August 29, 2017. At the time of the medical examination, the pilot reported 310 total hours of flight experience.The recorded weather at New Smyrna airport, located 5 miles southeast, at 1950, was: wind calm; visibility 10 statute miles; broken sky at 3,400 ft; temperature 24° C; dew point 22° C; altimeter 30.08 inches of mercury.The airframe and engine were retained for further examination. Aircraft and Owner/Operator InformationAircraft Manufacturer: CESSNARegistration: N89864Model/Series: 140 UNDESIGNATEDAircraft Category: AirplaneAmateur Built: NoOperator: On fileOperating Certificate(s) Held: None Meteorological Information and Flight PlanConditions at Accident Site: Visual ConditionsCondition of Light: DayObservation Facility, Elevation: KEVB, 10 ft mslObservation Time: 0150 UTCDistance from Accident Site: 5 Nautical MilesTemperature/Dew Point: 24°C / 22°CLowest Cloud Condition: ScatteredWind Speed/Gusts, Direction: CalmLowest Ceiling: Broken / 12000 ft aglVisibility: 10 MilesAltimeter Setting: 30.11 inches HgType of Flight Plan Filed: NoneDeparture Point: Daytona Beach, FL (7FL6)Destination: Daytona Beach, FL (7FL6)Wreckage and Impact InformationCrew Injuries: 1 SeriousAircraft Damage: DestroyedPassenger Injuries: 1 FatalAircraft Fire: NoneGround Injuries: N/AAircraft Explosion: NoneTotal Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 SeriousLatitude, Longitude: 29.085000, -81.041667 (est)

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.

PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- Students at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus are mourning the loss of a fellow student.

The 22-year-old Nandish Patel was killed when a small plane went down in the "Spruce Creek Fly In" neighborhood in Port Orange.

Dan Boggs, a air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, says around 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, the small single-engine Cessna 140 aircraft went up about 200 feet, took a left turn, hit some trees and then crashed with the two men on board.

"Its a flying community. I live up just the road, and we've all been here before, and it's always sad, its always sad, especially (because) they've got mother's and fathers," Boggs said.

Patel was killed and Zinn, an alumnus who graduated last year, was critically injured.

Seie Daniel is sophomore at the Embry Riddle studying Aeronautic science, the same major as Patel.

"It's a really sad day. We don't know much about the event. We are sure the investigation will tell us in details what actually happened," said Daniel

The NTSB stated it will be checking both the plane's engine and airframe Thursday.

Daniel P. Boggs, Investigator In Charge

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A 22-year-old Titusville man was killed and a 23-year-old Pennsylvania man was critically injured Tuesday evening when a small single-engine private plane crashed in an empty lot near Port Orange, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said.The crash was reported at about 7:30 p.m. at Taxiway Echo in the Spruce Creek Fly-In, which is a gated aviation community, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Laura Williams said."The plane, carrying two men, narrowly missed hitting a home," Williams said. "No injuries were reported on the ground."Deputies said the passenger, Nandish Patel, died at the scene and the pilot, Chase Zinn, was taken to Daytona Beach's Halifax Health Medical Center, where he remains in serious condition.An Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University spokesman said Patel was a student at the university and Zinn is a flight instructor for the school.Zinn’s family owns the plane, deputies said.Witnesses said they heard the Cessna 140 sputtering before it crashed. A nearby resident pulled Zinn from the wreckage.The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.NTSB officials said the plane had an altitude of no more than 200 feet before the pilot turned left and crashed.Investigators said they're reviewing Tuesday evening's conditions to determine if weather played a factor in the crash.ERAU provided Channel 9 with the following statement Wednesday:"With deep sorrow, we can inform you of the tragic loss of an Embry-Riddle Eagle and injuries to another. Our student Nandish Patel died last night in a private aircraft accident at the Spruce Creek fly-in community in Port Orange, Florida. The accident also seriously injured one of our flight instructors, Embry-Riddle alumnus Chase Zinn, who is currently receiving care at Halifax Health Medical Center."Nandish, 22, was a senior aeronautical science major and a member of the Airline Pilots Association Aviation Collegiate Education (ALPA ACE) club, the Business Aviation Student Association and the Cricket Club. A permanent resident of the United States, he was originally from India and had transferred to Embry-Riddle from Eastern Florida State College."Chase, 23, graduated from Embry-Riddle in May 2017. An Instructor Pilot 2, he is a member of Alpha Omicron Alpha and the BlueWings network of aviation professionals. He also has participated in the Business Aviation Student Association as well as two different sports car groups affiliated with Embry-Riddle."The families of Nandish and Chase are close in our thoughts and hearts."Story and video ➤ https://www.wftv.comVolusia County Sheriff's OfficeUPDATE: VCSO IDENTIFIES OCCUPANTS IN CRASHED PLANEEarlier today, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims of the plane crash that occurred Tuesday night in Spruce Creek Fly-In near Port Orange.They are: Nandish Patel. 22, (DOB: 05/05/1996) of Titusville, deceased passenger; and pilot Chase Zinn, 23 (DOB: 01/16/1995), of Pennsylvania. He remains hospitalized with serious injuries. The plane was owned by Zinn’s family.The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash, which could take months to conclude.Small Plane Crashes in Spruce Creek Fly-In; 1 Victim Killed, 1 Critically InjuredVolusia County sheriff's deputies and detectives are on scene in the Spruce Creek Fly-In gated aviation community in Port Orange where a small single-engine, private plane has crashed, killing one person and critically injuring a second.The crash occurred tonight around 7:30 on the community's north side, in the 2500 block of Taxiway Echo. The plane, carrying two men, narrowly missed hitting a home. No injuries were reported on the ground.One victim was pronounced deceased at the scene; the second was transported by ambulance to Halifax Health Medical Center where he is in critical condition. Rescue officials are trying to identify the victims and notify their families. A National Transportation Safety Board representative has already been on scene tonight and will resume the investigation Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also due to join the investigation to determine the cause of the crash.A Volusia County sheriff's deputy will be posted at the crash scene throughout the night. This remains an active investigation. More information will be released when it becomes available.Volusia County Sheriff's Office

An Embry-Riddle student died and his instructor seriously injured in a plane crash Tuesday night in the Spruce Creek Fly-In gated aviation community in Port Orange, the school said.Nandish Patel, a 22-year-old senior at the school, was pronounced dead on scene. The instructor, Chase Zinn, 23, is receiving care at Halifax Health Medical Center.The accident happened around 7:30 p.m. on the community's north side, in the 2500 block of Taxiway Echo. The plane narrowly missed a house, deputies said.Zinn graduated from the school last year, a spokesman said. Patel, originally from India, transferred from Easter Florida State College.“The families of Nandish and Chase are close in our thoughts and hearts,” Embry-Riddle spokesman James Roddey said.The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.This is the second fatal crash involving an Embry-Riddle student since April.On April 4, a student and pilot examiner with the FAA died in a crash near Daytona Beach.Story and video ➤ http://www.orlandosentinel.com

SPRUCE CREEK FLY-IN — A federal aviation investigator said an antique Cessna 140 was 200 feet in the air when it made a left turn and crashed near the Spruce Creek Fly-In airport, critically injuring the pilot and killing his passenger Tuesday night.
The wreckage was towed away from the crash site Wednesday afternoon and will be taken to a salvage hanger in Jacksonville to be analyzed, said National Transportation Safety Board Investigator Dan Boggs.The aircraft fell from the sky shortly after take-off around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the aviation investigator said.Boggs declined to identify the two people on the airplane but said the injured pilot at Halifax Health Medical Center is believed to be the owner of the Cessna 140 C85 two-seater, single engine aircraft.The two men on board the small plane are believed to be commercial airline pilots, Boggs said. Tuesday’s fatality is the fifth death involving an aircraft leaving or approaching Spruce Creek Airport, federal records show.Just outside Port Orange, Spruce Creek Fly-In is one of the world’s largest communities with a landing strip and hangar-equipped homes along taxiways.According to Flightaware, a website that gives information on the registration of aircraft, the orange and cream plane became the property of James B. Savage of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, in 2009.The fixed-wing craft was built in 1946, according to the website.Boggs said that at the salvage yard investigators will be looking at the aircraft’s systems and the engine and the pilot’s experience.“We are not really sure exactly what happened but he did make a left hand turn after take off and ended up in the trees next to a couple of houses,” Boggs said.The small plane took off from runway six at the Spruce Creek airport and got to tree-top height and then crashed near that airstrip, Boggs said.“About 200 feet is about as high they got in the air and made a left bank and ended up in the trees and then straight down from the trees,” Boggs said.There was no flight plan filed and pilots typically only announce they are taking off, Boggs said.“It’s an uncontrolled filed, there is no tower,” Boggs said. “It’s what called a unicom. They just announce on a frequency that other pilots are using the area just so other pilots know where they are at.”The aircraft constructed in 1946 was “meticulously” maintained, Boggs said.I looked at it. It was maintained meticulously it was beautiful-looking airplane,” Boggs said.Callers to 9-1-1 said the airplane crashed into an empty lot at 2540 Taxiway Echo near Runway 6. No one on the ground was injured.Rescue workers arriving at the scene on Tuesday said the pilot was stuck in the plane and a passenger had been pulled out by bystanders.That passenger pulled out of the aircraft died at the scene, authorities said.The pilot, a man whose legs were trapped in the aircraft and had an open head injury, was freed and taken to Halifax Health Medical Center, officials said.Story and video ➤ http://www.news-journalonline.com